Method and apparatus for the proportioned delivery of gas quantities



Oct. 30, 1956v H. B. FEHLMANN ,768,9 1

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE PROPORTIONED DELIVERY OF GAS QUANTITIES Filed March 15, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet l v -I z5 Oct. 30, 1956 H. B. \FEHLMANN 2,768,951 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE PRQPORTIONED DELIVERY OF GAS QUANTITIES Filed March 15. 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY O 1956 H. B. FEHLMANN 2,768,951

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE PROPORTIONED DELIVERY OF GAS QUANTITIES Filed March 15, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.4

. HAA s 15m f fWWM/V METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE PROPOR- TIONED DELIVERY OF GAS QUANTITIES Hans Beat Fehlmann, Bern, Switzerland, assignor to A. G. fiir Grundwasserbauten, Bern, Switzerland Application March 15, 1952, Serial No. 276,830

Claims priority, application Switzerland April 13, 1951 4 Claims. (Cl. 210-28) This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for the proportioned delivery of gas quantities, especially but not exclusively of smallest gas quantities.

On disinfecting water by means of chlorine or other gases, care must be taken that the gas quantities supplied are, on the one hand, suflicient for disinfecting and, on the other hand, are small enough to avoid undesired phenomena, such as unpleasant odors, for instance. In order to attain this aim on disinfecting water different methods have hitherto been used. In one of these prior methods chlorine has been diluted with air and the diluted gas has afterwards been supplied to the water. However, the proportioning obtained in this way was not fine enough to meet all the requirements.

The method acording to this invention is characterised in that the gas is intermittently supplied in proportioned quantities to a storage space by means of a valve, and that the gas i thereafter expanded in this storage space, while the expanded gas is taken out of this storage space in a proportion dependent on the proportioned supply to the storage space. Owing to the expansion in the storage space of the small gas quantities supplied and due to the dependence of the delivery on the supply to the storage space, a very fine proportioning is possible, allowing the novel method to be used in all cases where such fine proportioning is absolutely necessary.

The apparatus according to the invention is character ised by a storage space and a valve for proportioned gas supply to the storage space.

Other objects and features will be apparentas the following description proceeds, reference being had to the accompanying drawings illustrating, by way of examples, one embodiment of my invention and a modification of the gas proportioning valve, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a section through the axis of the inlet valve to the storage space,

Fig. 2 is a section along the line IIII of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a section along the line IIIIII of Fig. l. r

Fig. 4 is a section through another embodiment of the gas proportioning valve.

The storage 'housing 1 is welded to the injector casing 2 to form together with housing 1 a block-like set. A

nited States Patent nular injector space 18 of the injector 19 through a connecting duct 17 pierced through the wall of the housing 1 and through the housing 2. The duct 17 .is automatically closable by a ball check valve 26. The gas flowing through the duct 17 and entering the injector 19 enters the channel 22 of the injector 19 behind the injector orifice 21. In channel 22 the gas i being mixed with water leaving the orifice 21. The water coming from the .inlet 8 enters the apparatus as at 23. While a portion of the water flows through the orifice 21, that is, through the injector 19, the other portion flows through a connection boring 24 to an injector 25 lying in parallel with the injector 19 and being connected with the latter through the passage 26.

By means of the above-described apparatus gas proportioning may, for instance, be carried out as follows for disinfecting water by means of chlorine, for instance:

Be it assumed that each time, after the passage of a certain quantity of water through the inlet 8, a small quantity of chlorine is to be supplied to the storage space 16, the volume of this gas quantity in unexpanded condition corresponding approximately to the size of the annular space between the inner flange 14 and the cylinder 15. For this purpose, the water meter 7 is connected with the electrical control circuit 6 in a manner not shown and in such a way that it closes the circuit 6 for a short moment after the passage'of the prescribed quantity of water. By the closing of circuit 6 the magnet 5 is being excited and pulls spindle 4 out of the position of Fig. l towards the top until the valve disk 9 is applied against the knife edge 12. Thereby, disk 10 is lifted 011 the knife edge 11 above-mentioned annular space can enter the storage space.

16 Where it expands. As a matter of fact, the gas quantity flowing in is somewhat larger than the quantity in the annular space since some more gas can enter this space on a downstroke of the valve disk 10. However, the

knife-edge inlet valve 3 is screwed fast to the storage housing 1. The valve spindle 4 is operable in a wellproportioning space for the gas supplied at each'valve,

lift to the storage space 16 of the'housing 1. .Valve 3 is connected throughthe'pipe connection 27 with aconduit (not shown) leading to a chlorine gas container (not shown). The storage space is connected with an andownstroke taking place practically suddenly, this additional gas quantity is practically negligible; Therefore, on each working course of the electromagnet 5 practically the small gas quantity enters thespace 16, which before the downstroke of the valve spindle, was in the annular space between the parts 14 and 15. The gas quantity leaving the space 16 and flowing through the duct 17 depends on the difference between the pressures in the space 16 and in the injector'19.

From the above it follows that feeding the storage space 16 takes place intermittently in small quantities and in dependence on the water quantity flowing through the inlet 8. On an increase of this water quantity the water meter works quicker and the number of valve strokes per unit of time is augmented so that the feed of the space 16 and the reversed phenomenon occurs. Therefore, also the discharge of gas fro'm'the duct 17 takes place in a propor-- tioned manner, this proportioning'depending on the proportioned supply of gas to the space 16. I

As the gas is supplied to the storage space 16 in small quantities and is moreover expanded in this space, thespecific volume of the gas in the space 16 being thus very large, the proportioned supply of chlorine to the water in the injector is very fine.

The chlorine, having already been mixed with water in the injector 19, is still more intimately mixed in the second injector 25. Behind this second injector 25 the water may either be supplied to the main water stream to be disinfected or the main Water stream may itself flow through the boring 24.

The method may be used for any other purposes than water disinfecting, such as, for instance, for narcosis. It will not in all cases be necessary to control the inlet to the storage housing 1 automatically. This may also be done by hand or in dependence on any other quantity or entity than a rate of flow.

In order to obtain a substantially constant specific volume in the storage space 16 the latter may be subdivided in two or more compartments.

A valve such as shown in Fig. 4 may be substituted for the valve according to Fig. 1. The remaining portions of the apparatus may either be built as in Figs. 1 to 3 or in any other manner.

Referring now to Fig. 4, a connecting piece 28 is screwed into the wall of the storage housing 1, while a support 29 for the knife'valve body 30 is screwed fast to the piece 28. The supply pipe 31 for the gas is connected by means of a cap screw 32 to the channel 33 supplying gas to the valve body 30. A pressure-reducing valve (not shown) may be connected in series (in the pipe 31, for instance) with the valve 30. The valve disk 35 cooperating with the knife edge 34 of the valve body 30 is inserted into a head 36 of the valve spindle 37. A diaphragm 38 is clamped fast in a gastight manner between a collar 39 of the connecting piece 23 and a shoulder of a sleeve 40 screwed to the piece 28. A nut 41 on the spindle 3'7 presses the diaphragm 38 gastightly onto the head 36. Therefore, the space 42 receiving the valve 30, 35 is closed gastightly towards the top. The nut 41 is secured against rotation by means of a spring ring 43 and a counternut 44. A pressure spring 46 bearing against the counternut 44 and against the bottom of a sleeve 45 tends to press the valve disk 35 onto the knife edge 34, i. e., tends to close the valve. Sleeve 45 is screwed to sleeve 40 and a sealing 46a is inserted between these sleeves. Sleeve 47 is screwed to the spindle 37 and serves the latter as a guide along the bore of the flange of the sleeve 45. Spindle 37 is connected with a spindle 49 by means of a threaded sleeve 48. Sleeve 48 serves the purpose of adjusting the length of stroke of the valve disk 35 andis secured against rotation by means of counternuts 50 and spring rings 51. A plate 53 supported on sleeve 40 and held by a nut 52 screwed onto sleeve 40 carries tubes 54 traversed by bolts 55 serving to fix the electromagnet indicated in the drawing by its housing 56. Spindle 49 is coupled with the core (not shown) of the electromagnet. The latter may either be controlled in the same manner as in the first example or in any other way.

The valve disk 35 is intermittently controlled in a prescribed rhythm by means of the electromagnet controlled by a water meter, for instance, and lifted off the edge 34 and brought back onto this edge by spring 46. Thereby, gas flows in proportioned quantities through the channel 33, the valve 30, the space 42 and the passage 57 into the storage space 16 where it expands. With this valve, too, the ga may be finely proportioned in smallest quantities.

While, in Figs. 1 to 3, the electromagnet is swept by the incoming gas, in Fig. 4 it is protected against contact with gas by the diaphragm 38.

While I have described and shown two forms of per-- the entry of an expansion chamber, controlling said dosing valve independently of the pressure in said expansion chamber, delivering gas to said expansion chamber through said valve in fixed quantities depending on the number of strokes of said valve per unit of time, expand ing the gas in said chamber and continuously withdrawing expanded gas from said chamber at a rate depending on the pressure in the expansion chamber, said pressure varying with the number of strokes of said dosing valve per unit of time.

2. In an apparatus for the dosed delivery of gas quantities, an expansion chamber, a valve housing with its space in uninterrupted connection with said expansion chamber, a gas supply line discharging into said valve housing, a periodically controllable valve in said valve housing for dosed delivery of gas from said supply line to said expansion chamber, control means for said valve, controllable independently from the pressure in said expansion chamber and a valveless outlet from said expansion chamber for the continuous withdrawal of expanded gas from said expansion chamber at a rate proportional to the pressure in said expansion chamber, said pressure varying with the number of strokes of said valve per unit of time.

3. In an apparatus for the dosed delivery of ga quantities, an expansion chamber, a valve housing comprising a space in valveless connection with said expansion chamber, a knife-edged valve body fixed to said valve housing and projecting into said valve space, a gas supply line discharging into said valve body, a periodically controllable valve head projecting into said valve space to cooperate with said knife-edged valve body for dosed delivery of gas from said supply line to said expansion chamber, a diaphragm fixed to said valve head and to said valve housing closing said valve space from the outside, and means for the withdrawal of expanded gas from said expansion chamber in quantitie continuously depending on the number of strokes of said valve head.

4. In an apparatus for sterilizing liquid, a housing comprising a gas expansion chamber, an injector casing fixed to said expansion chamber housing forming a blockshaped set, two injectors mounted in said injector casing and connected in parallel with each other, a feed line fixed to said injector casing and connected with both said injectors, a fiowmeter in said feed line, a conduit extending through said injector casing and connecting said expansion chamber with one of said injectors, a valve housing fixed to said expansion chamber casing with its valve space in uninterrupted connection with said expansion chamber, a gas supply line discharging into said valve housing, a

valve in said valve housing for dosed delivery of gas flOIllsaidsupply line to said expansion chamber, a drive means mounted on said expansion chamber housing and coupled with the movable part of said valve to periodically control the latter, and control means in operable relation with said drive means and said flowmeter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,088,232 Leavitt Feb. 24, 1914 1,223,021 Allen Apr. 17, 1917 1,575,771 Kin-g Mar. 9, 1929 1,763,728 Turner June 17, 1930- l,767,579 Chrisman June 24, 1930 1,831,319 Peet Nov. 10, 1931 2,065,583 Heitzmann Dec. 29, 1936 2,148,671 Allen Feb. 28, 1939 2,218,773 Sparling Oct. 22, 1940 2,365,423 MacSporran Dec. 19, 1944 2,505,333 Mead Apr. 25, 1950 2,527,136 Kagi et al. Oct. 24, 1.950

FOREIGN PATENTS 217,501 Switzerland .Nov. 2, 1942 

1. A METHOD FOR THE DOSED DELIVERY OF GAS QUANTITIES, COMPRISING FEEDING GAS FROM A SUPPLY LINE DIRECTLY TO AN INTERMITTENTLY CONTROLLED DOSING VALVE DIRECTLY CONTROLLING THE ENTRY OF AN EXPANSION CHAMBER, CONTROLLING SAID DOSING VALVE INDEPENDENTLY OF THE PRESSURE IN SAID EXPANSION CHAMBER, DELIVERING GAS TO SAID EXPANSION CHAMBER THROUGH SAID VALVE IN FIXED QUANTITIES DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF STROKES OF SAID VALVE PER UNIT OF TIME, EXPANDING THE GAS IN SAID CHAMBER AND CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING EXPANDED GAS FROM SAID CHAMBER AT A RATE DEPENDING ON THE PRESSURE IN THE EXPANSION CHAMBER, SAID PRESSURE VARYING WITH THE NUMBER OF STROKES OF SAID DOSING VALVE PER UNIT OF TIME. 